The formation of a shaped, solid, three-dimensional skeleton (core) structure is described in commonly assigned, copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/617,827, Kacher/Taneri/Camden/Vest/Bowles, filed Nov. 26, 1990 and now abandoned, whereby incorporated herein by reference. Kacher et al. does not specifically teach freezer bars. The present invention relates to personal cleansing freezer bars comprising said structure. A freezer bar process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,058, White, issued Sep. 10, 1974, incorporated herein by reference. White, however, does not specifically teach freezer bars with such structure.
The formation of rigid, soap curd fibers of sodium laurate is reported by L. Marton et al. in a 1940 Journal of American Chemical Society (Vol. 63, pp. 1990-1993). However, there is no apparent utility for the curd.
Products made in the form of shaped solids, cakes and bars are numerous. E.g., certain high moisture and low smear personal cleansing bars are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,839 Harding, issued Aug. 19, 1986. Harding reports that his bars suffer from moisture loss; which loss is reduced by wrapping the bars in waterproof wraps.
It is also difficult to produce firm, nonsticky bars that contain relatively high levels (15-40%) of moisture (especially in the presence of most synthetic surfactants), hygroscopic surfactants and/or higher levels of nonsolids, such as water-soluble polyols and hydrocarbon greases.
Japanese Pat. J5 7030-798, Jul. 30, 1980, discloses transparent solid "framed" or "molded" soap in which fatty acids constituting the soap component are myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids. A transparent soap is described in which at least 90 wt. % of the fatty acids which constitute the soap component are myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. The product is reported as a transparent, solid soap having good frothing and solidifying properties, good storage stability, and a low irritant effect on human skin. The process and transparent bar soap composition exemplified in Jap. J5 7030-798 do not appear to contain synthetic surfactant and are not made using the freezer process.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,988,511, Mills and Korpi, issued Jun. 13, 1961, for a nonsmearing "milled" detergent bar with at least 75% by weight of which consists essentially of (1) from about 15% to about 55% of normally solid detergent salts of anionic organic sulfuric reaction products which do not hydrolyze unduly under conditions of alternate wetting and drying, said salts being selected from the group consisting of the sodium and potassium salts, and said anionic organic sulfuric reaction products containing at least 50% alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates from about 10% to about 30% of which alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates are alkyl diglyceryl ether sulfonates, the alkyl radicals containing from about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms; (2) from about 5% to about 50% of a water-soluble soap of fatty acids having from about 10 to about 18 carbon atoms; and (3) from about 20% to about 70% of a binder material selected from the group consisting of freshly precipitated calcium soaps of fatty acids having from about 10 to about 18 carbon atoms, freshly precipitated magnesium soap of fatty acids having from about 10 to about 18 carbon atoms, starch, normally solid waxy materials which will become plastic under conditions encountered in the milling of soap and mixtures thereof. Freezer soap bars are distinguished from milled soap bars and there is still a need to improve bar smear.